Law Schools

Advice For LL.M. Students Who Want To Enjoy The U.S. And Work Here After Graduation

Steps international LL.M. students can take beyond working with their Career Services Office to fully utilize and maximize their time in an American law school and in the U.S. in general.

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This week marked the first time I was able to meet with a portion of the students who have newly arrived on the Vanderbilt campus.  But before I garner the attention of the NALP Police, this meeting was not with Vanderbilt’s J.D. Class of 2021, but rather, with the LL.M. Class of 2019.  As previously mentioned in this space, the growth of Vanderbilt’s international LL.M. program has been coupled with a concomitant increase in resources made available to these students, including Career Services.  But while a strong relationship with CSO is vital for any LL.M. student who wants to work in the U.S. after graduation — strong CSO ties can also be beneficial for those students who are planning on returning to their home country after graduation — there are steps international LL.M.s can take beyond working with their CSO to fully utilize and maximize their time in an American law school and in the United States in general.

First, to be in the best position for U.S. legal employment, an international LL.M. student should supplement classwork with an externship or a position with one of their school’s legal clinics, if available.  One of the toughest obstacles that LL.M. students face in the American legal job market is that they only have two semesters worth of grades from which to be evaluated.  Even if an LL.M. student does remarkably well in the classroom, that can be a relatively small sample size from which an employer is able to extrapolate that individual’s ability as an attorney.  This can cause hesitation for some employers to make the marked investment that comes with hiring an international attorney — not only the attorney’s salary, but also the cost of sponsoring an H1B visa and the risk that the individual might be unsuccessful in the visa lottery, leaving a void at the firm.  Developing and showcasing actual legal skills can demonstrate to an employer that the skills acquired abroad, further developed in the U.S., can be of irreplaceable value.  For those international LL.M.s who wish to seek such opportunities, make sure you are aware of the Curricular Practical Training (CPT) requirements.

Next, regardless of whether or not a student desires to stay in the U.S. after graduation or not, international LL.M.s should try to fully integrate themselves with their J.D. classmates.  Frequently, international students, be they pursuing a J.D. or LL.M., will congregate with their fellow compatriots.  The impulse to do so is completely understandable.  If I moved to Paris or Mumbai or Beijing, my first instinct would be to locate a community of American expats.  And while dealing with street signs in a foreign language can be difficult enough, I cannot fathom the difficulty that comes with trying to learn a foreign legal system in a non-native language.[1]  But this impulse needs to be fought.  I am not advocating that an international LL.M. student shun those classmates with whom they share nationality, but rather, integrate yourself with a wide array of students from all parts of the globe.  This can start with sitting next to someone new in class, but should not stop there.  Take advantage of the social opportunities that abound in a law school.  You never know what sort of acquaintances you might make in a friendly dice game.

Perhaps most importantly, use this time in America to work on your English by speaking the language.  Rest assured that this advice does not spring forth from the sort of ethnonationalism that has gripped portions of this country and the globe, but even if you are perfectly fluent in English, your time in America provides the perfect opportunity to develop an understanding of the colloquialisms that are difficult to pick up from a textbook.

Finally, go out and enjoy the city which is your temporary home and the United States in general.  Law school is a stressful experience for everyone, regardless of where you come from.  Not only should you take the same mental health breaks as your American classmates, but also try to build some time into your schedule to explore.  This can be as simple as trying a new restaurant a few miles down the road from your campus or as involved as a Winter Break trip to a national park.  Without sounding too much like the human representation of a Norman Rockwell painting, there are a lot of wonderful aspects of this country and you will regret if you spend a year in the U.S. and never get a chance to see anything outside the 12 walls of the library, a classroom, and your apartment.  And if you do not get a chance to experience all that this country has to offer in one year, there is always the opportunity of pursuing another LL.M. or even transferring into a J.D. program.  Not only would you have more time to complete your American bucket list, but your chances of getting a legal job in the country will jump by leaps and bounds.

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[1] As more than one of my own law school professors could likely attest, I had enough difficulty trying to comprehend the American legal system in English.

Nicholas Alexiou is the Director of LL.M. and Alumni Advising as well as the Associate Director of Career Services at Vanderbilt University Law School. He will, hopefully, respond to your emails at abovethelawcso@gmail.com.

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